East Coasters, the fired-up Aries Moon may inspire you to rise with great enthusiasm, but be advised that Moon goes void at 8:40AM ET on a jovial connection with Jupiter. All dressed up with no place to go? Let the enthusiasm carry you on a marvelous drift of a day, and roll with whatever twists may hamper efforts to move forward in a straight line. Rolling is a better strategy than a typical Moon in Aries response, and here I would be thinking of the madness at the Trader Joe’s on West 72nd Street last night, where hundreds of dangerously self-absorbed shoppers jostled each other in the aisles.

The wandering sensation of the typical Moon void may be augmented the balsamic phase (the end)  of the lunar cycle. The Moon has little light; hence, a sense of listlessness or restlessness, as we sense there is something new just around the corner, but we don’t know what. Use this time to wrap up projects initiated at the New Moon last month and think about your agenda for the next cycle, which begins Thursday at 8:28PM ET. This Taurus New Moon is also an eclipse — more on that later in the week.

Meanwhile, some interesting news from underground, as anticipated by an easy a connection between mental Mercury and Pluto, lord of the Underworld: three women who disappeared a decade ago have been found in Cleveland; three men have been arrested. And — look out East Coast —  after 17 years, the cicadas are beginning to emerge from their underground hideaways…what else will be brought to light on this day? Lastly, note the potential for impassioned, inflamed, stubborn communication around 8:33PM ET, when mental Mercury and aggressive Mars hook up in earthy, possessive Taurus. Be nice and share your toys.

Another busy day of buzz, marked by the square between the unconventional Aquarius Moon and the sometimes stick-in-the-mud Taurus Sun  7:14AM ET. A focus on values and what you really stand for, perhaps. This square is also known as the Third Quarter Moon, suggesting another flash of recognition or challenge to the New Moon agenda that was set on April 10th, which was discussed here and here. No exact aspects for the rest of the day, save for a buoyant trine to the Moon from jolly Jupiter at 5:05PM, which is lovely for your happy hour plans this evening. In effect, though not exact until just after midnight on Saturday, is a communicative connection between mental Mercury and nebulous Neptune, suggesting a need for those rose-colored glasses once again. Issues of faith, idealism and other forms of magical thinking crop up, as well as inspiration for artists, healers and storytellers (including con artists).  Get it off your desk before the Moon goes void at 12:24AM Friday, not to enter Pisces until 2:25PM ET (on Friday).

Oh, the relief of today’s Moon in fiery Sagittarius — as of 7:32AM ET — after two days of intensity in Scorpio. Randy and rowdy, Moon in Sag is up for a gamble or a gambol — whatever broadens horizons and expands minds. A need for respect for its righteous opinions is key to keeping a Sagittarius Moon content. Ramble in the park, explore a new neighborhood, read a provocative book — and tell the world what you think — sounds like a good day to me. The only exact aspect today is a square to the Moon from nebulous Neptune at 3:32PM ET, suggesting a need for a rose-colored vision to stimulate conversation. Or maybe today’s debates and headlines will have a special emphasis on idealism, sacrifice, spirituality, arts, drugs and other escapes.

The Sag Moon carries us through Sunday and it is mostly exuberant, with one caveat: a potentially heavy opposition between the comfort-seeking Taurus Sun and Saturn, the stern karma cop, in demanding Scorpio, exact at 8 degrees. You’ll feel the pressure to streamline and focus more than most if you were born around the 28th of April, July, October or January — and this is actually the second hit of a serious cycle of restructuring and/or ambition challenged that started in December of 2012. The third hit happens in September.

You are also feeling the pinch if you have a planet or angle around 6-10 degrees of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, and perhaps you would like to talk about it. Yea verily, nearly all of my clients in the past few months have had these degrees prominent in their horoscopes. With all Saturn transits, there is an urgency about a need to be more firmly established, which often requires letting go of many people and pursuits that no longer serve. There is also no escape.

In the news, I’ve been seeing plenty of stories about Taurus and Scorpio concerns. For Taurus, have you noticed how much has been written about food, lack of food, breakthroughs on how we process food and necessary changes in our diet? Part of these revelations I’d say are a reflection of the Uranus-Pluto square, as it approaches its third (of seven) exact hits on May 20th. You may recall that a revolution in diet and farming began in the mid-60s (think: organic farming, etc.) when Uranus and Pluto were conjunct; the square suggests a serious next step forward. Here’s a sampling of intriguing headlines: earlier this week I posted a piece about foods that cause inflammation & the relationship between bacteria and a healthy gut; now we see eggs being called out as a possible cause, too. Here’s an interesting bit about farmers, resources, discrimination (and possible fraud). Here’s a follow-up on that massive fatal explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant that occurred within minutes of the volatile Sun-Mars conjunction in Aries on April 17th in which a probable cause of the explosion should surprise no one.

Plenty more to talk about, but I have horoscopes to prepare. Have a wonderful weekend and be advised that there is no Moon void to detour your efforts on Monday (at least not in the US) — so be prepared to hit the ground running.